Courtney Melba Barnett (born 3 November 1987) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. Known for her witty, rambling lyrics and deadpan singing style,[1] she attracted attention with the release of her debut EP, I've Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris. International interest from the British and American music press came with the release of The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas in October 2013.[2]

On 15 February 2018, Barnett released the single "Nameless, Faceless" followed by "Need a Little Time" on 15 March 2018. The third single, "Sunday Roast", was released on 10 May 2018. Her second album, Tell Me How You Really Feel, was released on 18 May 2018.[7]

Career

Barnett performing in March 2015

From 2010 to 2011, Barnett played second guitar in Melbourne garage grunge band Rapid Transit. They released one self-titled album on cassette. Between 2011 and 2013, she was a member of Australian psych-country band Immigrant Union, a musical project founded by Brent DeBoer (of The Dandy Warhols) and Bob Harrow. Along with sharing vocal duties, Barnett predominantly played slide guitar and is on the band's second studio album, Anyway. DeBoer also played drums on Barnett's first EP, I've Got a Friend called Emily Ferris.[12] It appeared in 2012 on Barnett's own label, Milk! Records.

In 2013, Barnett played lead guitar on Jen Cloher's third studio album, In Blood Memory, which was released on Milk! Records. Following the release of her first EP, Barnett signed to Marathon Artists (via its imprint House Anxiety). In August 2013, Marathon Artists released The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas, a combined package of Barnett's first EP and her second EP, How to Carve a Carrot Into a Rose.[13]The Double EP brought Barnett international critical acclaim, with "Avant Gardener", the lead single, named Track of the Day by Q Magazine and Best New Track by Pitchfork in 2013.[14][15] It was named the album of the week by Stereogum[16] The track "History Eraser" was nominated for the APRA Song of the Year.[17]How to Carve a Carrot into a Rose was released on a limited run by Milk! Records as a standalone EP in October 2013. Marathon Artists and House Anxiety partnered with Mom + Pop Music for the U.S. release of The Double EP in 2014.[18]

Barnett performing at Coachella in 2016

Milk! Records released a compilation EP, A Pair of Pears (with Shadows), on 10" white vinyl in September 2014, following a crowd-sourcing campaign in July that year. The EP included a Barnett track, "Pickles from the Jar", the song was voted in at number 51 in Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2014.[19]

In August 2015, Barnett's UK label, Marathon Artists, in partnership with Mom + Pop Music and Milk! Records, launched a global, guerilla campaign for the release of her single Nobody Really Cares If You Don't Go to the Party.[29] Billboards and posters bearing the song's title went up in London, New York, LA, Melbourne and Sydney.[30] The campaign garnered a lot of interest online and across social media and culminated in a surprise busking gig in Camden, London.[31]

In concert, Dan Luscombe (of The Drones) has often played lead guitar, having featured on both, How to Carve a Carrot Into a Rose and Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, the latter of which he also co-produced. When Luscombe was not available, the band performed as a trio, with Barnett handling all guitar duties. Luscombe did not play on Barnett's 2015 tours, however, and she now refers to the band as the "CB3" on her Facebook page. The CB3 moniker also features prominently on drummer Dave Mudie's bass drum.

On 12 February 2018, Barnett teased a new album on her social media accounts, featuring Barnett trying out various musical instruments with the clip ending with the tagline Tell Me How You Really Feel.[40] Barnett released the singles "Nameless, Faceless", "Need A Little Time", "City Looks Pretty", and "Sunday Roast" from her sophomore solo album, which was released on 18 May 2018 and titled Tell Me How You Really Feel. "City Looks Pretty" was featured on the soundtrack of the video game FIFA 19.[41]

Equipment and playing style

Barnett plays left handed, using mostly left-hand constructed guitars, with standard tuning and string order for left-handed players (low strings at top, high strings at the bottom).[8] She occasionally plays right-handed guitars upside down, but does not prefer it. She learned to play on acoustic guitars, and disliking the sound of a pick, developed her own method of fingerstyle guitar which she later translated to use on the electric guitar. She is capable of using a pick (and claims she could probably play better with one), but prefers to play with just her fingers, strumming with both her thumb and index finger on rhythm parts, and using her index finger as one would use a pick for lead parts. She prefers to play in standard tuning, even when playing alongside other artists using alternate tunings.[42]

Personal life

Barnett is openly gay and was in a relationship with fellow singer-songwriter Jen Cloher from 2012 to 2018[44][45]. The song "Numbers" was co-written by Barnett and Cloher about their relationship. Barnett's song "Pickles from the Jar" also details their relationship, and Cloher is mentioned by name in the first line of "Dead Fox". Barnett admits to Cloher being a "huge constant influence" on her music.[46] Barnett also played guitar in Cloher's band from 2012 to 2018.

Backing band members

Barnett performing with her band at The Tivoli in Brisbane in August 2018. From left to right: Katie Harkin, Barnett, Dave Mudie and Bones Sloane.